Kukla's Korner Hockey

A Winona-area resident just finished the prototype of an invention that just might push — or shave — the Zamboni off the hockey rink.

Buffalo County resident Paul Van Eijl said his invention, which he calls the “Ice Jet,” will do the ice resurfacing job of the classic machine much quicker — about a minute or so — using GPS coordinates to control multiple machines at once.

It won’t need a driver, will be electrically powered and will recycle the ice collected by melting it in the machine and using the water to resurface the hockey rink. His invention isn’t on the market yet, though a prototype has been enough to generate a phone call from the reality television show “Shark Tank,” which highlights inventors and entrepreneurs hoping to make it big.

“It’s really doing the same thing (as a Zamboni),” Van Eijl said as he stood next to his prototype on a recent day. “You’re just basically making it eight times as efficient.”